Chapter 55:
Kanzi Yesenia, District Eleven, Age 16
Victor of the 130th Hunger Games
No one is expecting Kanzi to actually win. Not with the terrible odds Eleven has had over the years… Only one victor who won back in the 79th Hunger Games. Fifty years without another victor. Kanzi has no doubt that has made a lot of the other tributes from her District over the years lose hope of winning. Hell, her own District partner Roger was one of those – and that's why he died in the bloodbath.
But not Kanzi. There's a reason her parents always tell her she should have been born in Ten because she's as stubborn as the bulls there. So what if people say Eleven has bad luck or something? So what if she's severely outmatched by the careers? Non-careers have won before, and she's going to make sure she's the next one. And the careers this year ain't shit, considering they're halfway through and their numbers are already down to two. She should have known from the way they were bickering throughout training and couldn't seem to agree on anything. Which is fine with her. Let them fracture and lose.
That victory is going to be Kanzi's.
"Okay, listen up," Kanzi tells her two allies as she crouches down, using a stick to help draw out their next plan in the dirt. She stares down the pair from Seven, making sure they're paying attention to her. They had been easy to recruit into an alliance with her, both having knowledge about the wilderness but just needing a bit of guidance. And that's where Kanzi stepped in. They've done well so far, helping her get supplies in the bloodbath and then with executing plans to trap other tributes. Between the three of them, they've already gotten four kills. And it is time to make that five. "We saw evidence of a camp nearby so let's lure that tribute out."
Kanzi draws out her plan in the dirt, indicating where they'll set up a trap and how they'll lure the tribute to the trap – something that immediately makes Millie, the younger of the two from Seven, start protesting. "Why does it have to be me leading them to the trap?"
"Because you're the fastest," Kanzi tells her calmly, doing her best to not let the girl know that there's a good chance she could get injured if she's not fast enough. "Come on, you've done it once before and it turned out alright."
"I suppose…" Millie grumbles and she crosses her arms, making her partner Jordan pat her on the shoulder reassuringly.
"Well let's get to it then," Kanzi tells them, standing up and getting right to work, knowing the two will be right behind her.
In under an hour, they have an old trap modified and ready to lure this tribute in. Kanzi gives Millie a reassuring smile, but the girl still looks nervous about this plan. "You'll do great, Millie."
Millie doesn't look to sure about this, but eventually nods her head, following Kanzi's leadership once more. "Okay…"
"Go get that tribute and get us one step closer to home," Kanzi tells her and Jordan gives her a thumbs up before she turns to leave. Kanzi and Jordan get into place, hidden away in the trees near their trap, and then they wait.
Kanzi keeps Jordan quiet, not wanting to give up their spot but also just not wanting to talk to him. She has no idea how long it has been before she hears Millie screaming and footsteps running towards them. Jordan looks like he wants to jump out of the tree to help her, but Kanzi grabs his arm and keeps him in place. "Don't ruin the trap."
"But Millie-"
"But no," Kanzi whispers, shaking her head at him before turning her attention back to the footsteps running towards them.
But then Millie screams out again, Jordan's name this time, and there's nothing Kanzi could have done to stop him from running towards her. "Millie!" He yells as he runs towards his District partner, leaving Kanzi alone and cursing the idiot. If she loses both of her allies because they wouldn't listen to her, she's gonna slap herself for picking idiots.
Boom.
"No!" Jordan screams in the distance and Kanzi shakes her head more as she leans back in the tree, knowing she shouldn't run after them. If Millie got killed by this tribute, well, it's likely Jordan will too.
But she doesn't hear another cannon yet, instead hears Jordan's screams of protest getting closer until she sees him getting dragged closer by the dumbass girl from One. Well, she supposes she messed up there in thinking it was a tribute they could handle. But at least it wasn't her that was out there and discovered.
"Kanzi, show yourself!" Zen shouts, looking around the trees and continuing to drag Jordan by the hair on his head. "I know you were allies with this pathetic pair."
Jordan starts whimpering, but Kanzi stays quiet, pressing herself closer to the tree as Zen keeps walking towards her. "Kanzi, please!" Jordan begs her, but he should know better. Why would she sacrifice herself for him when the career will just kill them both? No fucking way.
"Yes, Kanzi, please show yourself," Zen says as she keeps walking. Come on, just a few more steps. "I'll give you to the count of three before I slit his throat."
"One…"
"Two…"
Zen pauses, giving Kanzi one last chance, but she must really be dumb if she thinks Kanzi cares that much about her allies.
"Three," Zen finishes and Jordan screams out, just before Zen slits his throat, cutting off his scream.
Boom.
Zen pushes the body to the side, making a disgusted face at the blood on her hands before wiping them on her jacket. "You can't stay hidden from me," Zen says, still looking around and not finding Kanzi, all because she won't look up at the trees.
Kanzi finally jumps down from the tree and shows herself, just as Zen is about to go in a direction away from the trap. She positons herself appropriately, holding out her arms and showing she has no weapons. "I'm right here, come and get me."
Zen lets out a yell as she starts running towards Kanzi, getting caught in the trap right away and getting pulled to the ground, a wire tightly wrapped around her leg and cutting into it. When she fell, her knife fell out of her hand, just out of her reach, and instead of reaching for one of the other knives she has on her, she keeps reaching for that one.
Kanzi walks over, picking up the knife as Zen starts to get close to touching it with her fingertips. "I don't think so."
Alright and there we have finally the second victor for District Eleven, Kanzi Yesenia! Another Legacy repeat but oh well lol, I don't care. I think we have...two more Legacy mentors left? Yeah, I think just Glen and Astrid. And whoops, forgot to update last week, oh well.
This brings us into the 130s! Wild that we're already at that point, I feel like the 120s took a while for some reason lol. Anyways, next week is going to be an outer District volunteer who did this to save himself! Buckle up because at this point, all of the remaining victors have at least been mentioned in previous stories and only two haven't been mentors. And I'm excited to get to some well-known victors in my verse!